From all of us here at Totanhan Nakaha Lodge, good luck on your move!  We are happy to keep you involved with Totanhan Nakaha Lodge, but you can only be a member of one lodge at a time.  To stay on our mailing list as an out-of-council recipient, contact us at totanhannakahalodge@oa.nsbsa.org.

Certainly.  When you get where you’re going, have your new Lodge formally request your OA records from us. Once you register in a new Council, you can no longer remain a member of Totanhan Nakaha Lodge.

Please send any request for membership records to membership.adviser@oa.nsbsa.org.

No, an Arrowman can only belong to one lodge at a time. On page 42 of the Order of the Arrow handbook, it states that dual lodge membership is not permitted. The Order of the Arrow wants to encourage Arrowmen to focus their efforts in one individual lodge and the council it is created to support rather than having their energies scattered throughout different lodges.

We recommend that you register and pay dues as a member of your new lodge.

Welcome to Totanhan Nakaha Lodge!  We’re happy to welcome you into our 2,500+ members. For more details on transferring registration, read our transferring membership page!

If you believe that you were a member of the Order, talk with the Lodge Chief or Lodge Adviser. Perhaps you can find an old newspaper clipping, your sash, lodge flap or be able to describe your Ordeal.

Yes. You must be registered in a Troop, Crew, or Ship, or at-large in order to be considered an active member of the Lodge and participate in Lodge events. OA membership does not supersede or include BSA membership.  (Note: An adult who became an OA member as a youth could be registered in a Pack)

The youth must be elected as a Candidate after meeting the minimum membership requirements.  (See requirements in a separate FAQ)

If one or more youth are elected as a Candidate, an adult can be nominated by the unit committee after meeting the minimum requirements.  (See requirements in a separate FAQ)

Youth members (under the age of 21) are elected by other youth members of their unit in an election conducted by the OA Lodge through the Chapters.  At least 50% of the registered youth members of the unit must be present for an election to be held.

Adults are nominated by the unit committee and the nomination is forwarded to a Lodge Adult Nomination Committee, headed by the Lodge Adviser, for consideration.

While there are three levels of membership (called “honors”) in the Order of the Arrow, all members—regardless of honor—are considered equal.

Induction or Ordeal

The induction ceremony, called the Ordeal, is the first step toward full membership in the Order. During the experience, candidates maintain silence, receive small amounts of food, work on camp improvement projects, and sleep apart from other campers. The entire experience is designed to teach significant values. All candidates for membership must complete the Ordeal. An Ordeal member wears a white sash with an arrow pointing towards the right shoulder.

Brotherhood Membership

After 6 months of service as an Ordeal member and fulfilling certain requirements, a member may take part in the Brotherhood ceremony, which places further emphasis on the ideals of Scouting and the Order. Completion of this ceremony signifies full membership in the Order. A Brotherhood member wears a white sash with a red arrow contained by two red bars.

Vigil Honor

After two years of exceptional service as a Brotherhood member, and with the approval of the national Order of the Arrow committee, a Scout or Scouter may be recognized with the Vigil Honor for their distinguished contributions to their lodge, the Order of the Arrow, Scouting, or their Scout camp. This honor is bestowed by special selection and is limited to one person for every 50 members registered with the lodge each year. A Vigil member wears a brotherhood sash adorned with a red triangle overlapping the arrow.

As of February 1, 2019, unit elections are permitted in Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scout units.

Youth must be elected by the peers of their unit to become a candidate in the Order of the Arrow.  To qualify to be elected, they must:

• Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
• Have experienced 15 nights of Scout camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each. Ship nights may be counted as camping for Sea Scouts.
• At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, and hold one of the following ranks corresponding to the type unit in which they are being considered for election: Scouts BSA First Class rank, the Venturing Discovery rank, or the Sea Scout Ordinary rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.

Adults are nominated by their unit committee, not elected.  Two adults may be nominated per 3 youth members elected. To be nominated, the unit committee should ensure:

• Selection of the adult is based on the ability to perform the necessary functions to help the Order fulfill its purpose, and not for recognition of service, including current or prior achievement and positions.
• The individual will be an asset to the Order because of demonstrated abilities that fulfill the purpose of the Order.
• The camping requirements set forth for youth members are fulfilled.
• The adult leader’s membership will provide a positive example for the growth and development of the youth members of the lodge.

Youth must be elected by the peers of their Unit to become a candidate in the Order of the Arrow.  To qualify to be elected, they must:

• Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
• At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, and hold one of the following ranks corresponding to the type unit in which they are being considered for election: Scouts BSA First Class rank, the Venturing Discovery rank, or the Sea Scout Ordinary rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.
• After registration with a troop, crew, or ship, have experienced 15 days and nights of Boy Scout camping during the two-year period prior to the election. The 15 days and nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of six consecutive days and five nights of resident camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. The balance of the camping must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps.
• Be approved by their unit leader prior to election.

Adults are nominated by their unit committee, not elected.  For unit-level adult leaders, the requirement that states at least one youth must be elected in a unit for any adults to be chosen remains.  Two adults may be nominated per three youth elected.  To be nominated, the unit committee should ensure:

• Selection of the adult is based on the ability to perform the necessary functions to help the Order fulfill its purpose, and not for recognition of service, including current or prior achievement and positions.
• The individual will be an asset to the Order because of demonstrated abilities that fulfill the purpose of the Order.
• The adult leader’s membership will provide a positive example for the growth and development of the youth members of the lodge.
• For camping requirements, unit-level adults must have at least 15 nights of camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within two years prior to the unit election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved by the standards set by the BSA. For council and district-level adults, however, the camping nights requirement may be waived by the lodge adviser or scout executive.